It’s 2024, people, and you know that means … it’s a new year!
*deep inhale* *deep exhale* *release a cleansing “ahhhhhhhhh”*
Do you smell that? It’s the freshness of possibility and change in the air. What a whiff and way to start a year that we are determined to help YOU make it YOUR BEST YET.
As we look ahead to 2024, Sexual + Being wants to share some affirmations and suggestions on ways to take stock of yourself (goals, wishes, current behaviors) and set yourself up for even more success.
Audit your routines
We, as humans, are all about patterns and routines … some great, some not so much.
It’s in those patterns of behavior that we operate the world and find our place in it. So, in order to thrive in 2024, you must take a long look at how you operate and see the places you are working well in and what isn’t working.
These could be related to self-care, your professional self, relationships, sex and dating, and the list goes on. Whatever those routines are, audit them (no, seriously, list them out) and set goals for yourself to adjust or maintain as needed.
Cool it with the negative resolutions
It’s 2024, people, and we still demand so much from our bodies. If you’re anything like this writer, each year comes with ceaseless negatively oriented resolutions built on “fixing” related to our self-image. I’d venture to guess many feel the same.
Well, that’s got to stop. New years are perfect times for growth and transformation, so try talking about them with positivity and do what you can to make them fulfilling without being too demanding — or you may not meet your goal and feel worse!
It’s all about the framing, really. For example, instead of saying “I am fat and need to lose weight,” try “I love myself but want to work on feeling better about my body.” It may seem cheesy but it will help you both feel better as you start your journey and will likely be the key to your eventual accomplishment.
Recenter your pleasure
You heard it here first: 2024 is for the sex-positive folks who want to feel good and get down all year long. Reader: That’s you and we are here to tell you it’s ok to put your sexy self first.
Try thinking through your “year in sex” for 2023 and see if you found ample satisfaction — in whatever that means to you. Then, pinpoint a few areas you’re looking to explore or experiment with more and get to it. Make your sex life great again by focusing (respectfully! Don’t make it weird…) on your personal pleasure.
Check-in your sexual health
Yeah, we’re still getting down and sexy for ourselves in 2024. But we’re doing so with safety at the front of our minds.
The time is as good as ever to take stock of your sexual health ahead of a year we’re hoping will be filled with happy humping for us all. Get a fresh round of STI screenings from your local health clinic or trusted medical professional. It’s quick, easy, and offers you something very hot: peace of mind! Then, be sure to review your current sex practices and isolate what you can do to be even safer.
Stay a hydrated hottie
Speaking of safety … this one could not be more obvious, or frankly, more important. Drink your water!
Only the sexiest folks drink their recommended daily intake of water and you’re, like, super sexy so get that water bottle and start drinking up. Trust me, you will feel reborn and it will help almost every part of your mind, body, and soul.
PrEPare yourself
Once you’ve had a fresh STI screening, it may be time for you to consider your options in terms of more consistent prevention. Enter PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis.
PrEP is a drug cocktail that can reduce your chance of contracting HIV from sex or injection drug use. When taken as prescribed, PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by about 99 percent per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Currently, there are both PrEP pills as well as injectable shots for some.
If you’re looking to learn more, check in with your trusted medical professional and learn more from Sexual+Being’s PrEP resources online.
Make a f*ck-it list
Of course, we need to have fun this year to make it our best so why not say “f*ck it” and come up with a list of your wants, needs, and fantastical sex-capades to check through this year?
No, seriously. Putting pen to paper or a notes app to detail what’s on your mind sexually can help telegraph where you are and what your mind is craving between the sheets. Try coming up with 6 to 9 (nice) as a jumping-off point and use them to guide your year. If that’s too much, think of a word to manifest your sex life this year and center your sexual intentions around that.
Well, what are you waiting for? Let’s make 2024 our best year yet, sexually and otherwise. For more resources, visit sexualbeing.org.
Ryan Carey-Mahoney
Ryan Carey-Mahoney is a writer and LGBTQ advocate based in Washington, D.C. A journalist at heart, he's worked in digital strategy for over five years and has yet to turn down an opportunity to proofread. Talk to him on social media (@thegoodcarmah) about bi+ visibility, politics, and Beyoncé.
